Triumph in strangerlands
by AuraPhoenixx
Summary: A loyal Minecraft user by the name of Eden is sucked into the game, thinking he is a corrupted Steve seeking Herobrine, while Minecraft is in havoc. Players everywhere disappear, and rumors of Herobrine rising grow stronger than ever. Eden's friends Damian and Nixon must find out what is wrong before they too, are lost in the game forever.
1. Chapter 1-Strangerlands

**Okay this is my first fan-fiction ever, so please don't piss off if I just wasted a few minutes of your life. Enjoy!**

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**Strangerlands**

I turn restlessly in bed as the moon crosses over the sky. _Trumm Trumm Trumm, _ the distant sound of beating hooves keeps me awake. Water spreads across the valleys, and the endless howls of wolves fills the night air. I hold myself close, though there is nothing to hold, from the unforgiving land. A lone birch sways gently, it's bark seems to light up like fire. I shudder as crude memories pass my mind. "_Fire," _I breathed. _"Fire." _It all came back to me. Fire upon purple stone, bringing me back to the place they call the Nether, my birthplace. Yes, it is not expected that I would ever be born in such a hell, but it is true. Son of Fire, Nephew of Darkness, I was to be crowned Wither of the Nether, to rule along with the great Herobrine, that is, until I escaped. _"Escape,"_ I whispered, _"Escape." _Before I knew what was going on, I had sank into darkness, and it was not brought by sleep. I fall down into the chilly air, yet I don't fall all the same. A liquid seems to drip down my face, and a coldness sweep down my spine. I suddenly lurch forwards as a pain hits my hits me, like a blast of freezing acid, waking me up but burning me, too. An immense wind blows me away, yet I stay in one place. I know this feeling. I think I know where I'm headed to. I had the feeling they were looking for me...


	2. Chapter 2-Pain beyond

I wake, though I do not remember sleeping. I am on the ground, somewhere hot, somewhere dry, but someplace familiar. It reeks of death and blood, but seems, for me, to hold a warm, almost motherly aroma. I feel something soft and warm press up against me, but there is nothing there. I am in the Nether, back to my home. This makes me feel sick. I pick up a used piece of flint and steel, and set the gloomy Netherack ground alight with flame. I step back. Anger fills my stomach, like a fiery inferno waiting to unleash itself, my anger swoops inside of me, growing stronger by the moment. So strong, I fall to my knees, shaking as I try to contain myself. White hot rage bubbles inside of me, forcing it's sharp blades into my mind, swirling around me, buzzing like bees, then roaring like lions, it holds me prisoner in it's depth. I cry inside of myself, I cry to let me out. But I am not let out. Instead, I sink deeper into me, slowly losing conscience, slowly losing myself in a deep, dark slumber.


	3. Chapter 3-The new me

I find myself again, dozing beside a large fortress. I try to move my arms, but I have no control. I try to open my eyes, but I cannot. I vie for the easiest thing I could think of, try to wrap myself around it, gain back control of it, but it is no use. I am prisoner of my own body. Depressed, I rest myself, feeling the comfort of my back against the cool, Nether Brick wall. Suddenly, I am thrown forwards by a very strong force, which I then recognized as my own body, shifting and getting up. I storm into the fortress, eyes aglow with anger. More anger. Even _more _anger. So much anger. I feel as if something sharp had raked itself across my chest, splitting me in two. I cry in sheer agony, though I cannot hear myself cry, I can hear my own voice, raised higher than I've ever spoken, thundering over the walls of the fortress, Screaming fear into the hearts of any soul nearby. "_WHERE ARE MY SUBJECTS?!" _I hear myself bellow, _"WHERE ARE THEY?!" _Suddenly, as if on cue, hundreds if not thousands of smoke-based beings zoom into the room, bowing to me. Their metallic breathing sounds rattle in the air, causing a vibration in me. I shake with the impact of so many beings. I see them, they see me, but they don't see me. Their eyes alight with fire, not the fire of hope, but the fire that devours and devastates. They lick their gaping, lava-filled jaws and flex their long, fiery fingers. I can tell they want to kill. But kill who, _kill me? _I didn't think so. One of these fiery beings, which I soon recognized as Blazes, floated forwards from the crowd, and bowed. _"M-my hhhonourrrr of definate graciousssnesss, welcome hommmme."_ The way they talk to me disgusts me, though I don't understand why. My instinct wants me to run, but my body stays put. With a flick of my finger, the Blaze is sent flying through the air, colliding with the wall, before sizzling once and dying. Smoke rises from the ground, as thousands of Blaze begin to feel the effect of death overtake them. I fist trembles at my sides as I kill them off, taking their bodies, taking their power, as more and more smoke fills the air. I cough and splutter, but my body does not seem to mind. It keeps going, filling the fortress with an almost purple smoke, while I, still trapped within myself, gasp for air.


	4. Chapter 4-The realisation

I am furious. Why did they not welcome me sooner?! Rage and confusion begin to fill me, as I try desperately to cool it down. It streams through me like a lavafall, knocking down my attempts to calm myself. It wells up in my chest, threatening to burst out in a sudden explosion of hatred. Fear escalates within me, clashing against the everstronger rage. Pain hits me everywhere, as I writhe on the hot, sticky, ground, bound to the endless throe. The Netherack cracks a little from all my struggling, blood seeping onto the ground from wounds I never knew I had. I scream a loud, piercing scream, which I realised, suddenly, that I could hear. It echoed loudly throughout the lava-filled cavern. I had my voice back, too. I stopped struggling for a split second, realising I felt no pain, and lifted an arm. Then a leg. Then two legs. I kept moving until I was standing up. My whole body shook with excitement. I was me again. I sniffed the warm, stinky air, and by my own surprise, I sighed, lay back, and fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5-Realisation pt 2

I wake again. I still have control over myself, except for the fact that my right foot was barely moveable. _Please not this again..._ I hoped not! I get up and look around for the first real time. I see lavafalls over glowstone walls, fortresses looming over Netherack ground. I sigh. _How did I get myself into this mess? _Hell was certainly not the place I wanted to be right now. I wanted to be home, in my fortress base, curled up in bed, snoozing the night _and _day away, dreaming of diamonds and pigs(aside from creepers), like I used to. A tear slipped down my face, and I quickly wiped it away. Anything, I decided was better than here. And I was going to bust out. It seemed impossible, but I had to. Everything I had worked for was at stake. Yeah, even my pickaxe. If only another player would sign in right now and help me out of this mess..._wait, _I thought, _Players? This isn't a computer game, this is life. BUT, what's a computer? _That's when I knew something was awfully wrong. Awfully, _awfully _wrong. What was going on? What was this? Suddenly, what seemed like my reality began to fade around me. I was really beginning to get that bad feeling. Voices in my head spoke in languages I've never heard before. Screams echoed everywhere, the rank scent of death rose in the air. Crying filled the arena, everything I was used to, everything that once seemed like birdsong, something that was only heard when you listened for it, was sharp and clear as broken glass. The weeping of Ghasts, the moaning of the Pigmen, something, I, personally, couldn't stand, the breathing of Blazes, the rattling of Wither bones. That's when I realised how hot it really was. It was hot as hell.


	6. Chapter 6-Fooling off for my life

An overhead Ghast screamed in an agonizing way. Two missles shot through the air, their target was me. I was running like hell now, but the missles just seemed to follow me. Glowstone lit the way through a large, spacious tunnel. I ducked into it. The missles whizzed past my face, leaving a mark on my nose. I sighed in relief that it hadn't hit me. Not this time, at least. I lean back against the Netherack, just to jolt back up strait as I touch something hot. Burning hot. I look behind me. An oozing lavafall was concealed behind a glowstone vein. I felt pain everywhere now. Suddenly, something flashed before my eyes. A line of hearts, and a whole section seemed to be empty, while the other half was filled with a red substance. It disappeared before I had a chance for closer inspection. _Well at least if I die, I respawn, right? _Wait. Now I'm panicking. _What am I thinking? This isn't a game! _Why do I keep referring to that?! Suddenly, a Wither Skeleton pops out from behind a Nether Brick wall. It's black bones rattle as it approaches me, it's sword alight with flame. I yell the most random thing I could think of, not knowing what else to do. "CHEESE-FREAKING-CAKE!" The Wither Skeleton stops dead in his tracks and stares at me for a second, before lunging at me again. I dodge his flurries of attacks fast enough to reach the opening of the tunnel, and duck out, panting, before collapsing on the ground. I think back to what happened in there, and I laugh at my randomness. _Doesn't seem so much like me now, does it? _I couldn't care less.


	7. Chapter 7-Damian

**OKAY HERE WE HAVE OUR NEWEST CHARACTER! I didn't really get any suggestions so I just went with my gut and created this dude. SPOILER: He's going to turn out to be much more than a gamer... **

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~Damian~

Sun sets over the horizon. I stare out the window, deep in thought. A weird mechanical sound fills the room. I look at my computer. Minecraft is open on my screen. It tempts me over, luring me in like fish to some bait (or pigs to some carrots! ^_^). With a sigh, I sit down, shaking my head, and begin playing. I am glued to the seat the minute I start. I decide to go on a small Multi-player server. I spawn in an area full of pigs. In front of me, a Nether portal is ablaze, eerie screams coming from it's inside. I shudder. _Ah, what's to lose? _I step inside, even though I have literally nothing with me, not even a simple wooden sword. I emerge on the other side, conveniently close to a Nether Fortress. My fingers fly across the keyboard as I make my way around, hoping not to fall into any lava. I tunnel through a thick layer of Netherack, caving out a small room to call my base for now. My hunger bar is almost drained. I decide to go back to the overworld to kill those pigs I found earlier. I emerge, but in a much different spot than I was before. I shrug it off and quickly find some pigs. Each of them die at my fist. I find some wood and begin making pickaxes and swords. Once fully equipped, I begin mining. I dig down into the dirt to find myself falling into the middle of a gaping crater. A lit crater. With a small supply chest at the bottom. Filled with diamonds. _Someone was definately here before me! _I begin hoarding all the diamonds, lugging them into my inventory, and them my hot-bar when my inventory was full. I look at the stacks I had found, and smile. I craft all the tools my heart desires, and laugh that there is still more left. Suddenly, a chill passes through me. I shudder from the cold, even though it's summer. I look away from my computer, and see that the stars were already out. The clock reads 10. With one last rueful look at my game, I save and leave.


	8. Chapter 8-Eerie feeling

~Steve~

I wake in the Nether. I remember placing some food in a chest beside me, so I grope around in surprising darkness until I realize it wasn't there. Panic rises within me. I try to forget about what might happen if I starved, what might happen if I died. I look around me. I see darkness, closing in on all sides, devouring me, choking me to the utter sliver of nothingness. _Wait, _I shake my head out of my panic and look around again. Nether Brick surrounds me in a small room. The air is musky but still very breathable. Something scrapes my head from above. I look up. Wither Bones. Covering my pit. I was good as buried alive. Though I'm not known to cry so much, I cry. I stare at my hands. Blood. I look at the ground to my feet. Blood. I feel my face with a clean hand. Blood, with a mixture of tears, tears of sad regret. I desperately call for help, calling for help, desperately calling for help. My own thoughts and actions echo inside the pit of my stomach, and I feel faint. I begin to feel myself fade away, and that awful, cold, rush of anger fill me, like it has before. I am morphed once again into something I cannot control. I stare down at my own hands, without moving an inch. My body licks the blood off my fingers, seeming to savor every drop. I shiver in disgust, but then I realise something startling. If my body and hidden self are so eagerly lapping up the blood, it must know where it came from. I must have morphed when I thought I was sleeping. With that realization, a creeping feeling wells up inside of me, then a tingling one, and I shriek at the top of my lungs, silently. _HELP!_ _Help! help! help. h-help..._

~Damian~

Sunday. I scramble across the house, searching everywhere for the thing, that _thing, _until I realize it was in my room the whole time. Over the days, I had grown more and more confused, so confused sometimes, I forget who I am. I emerge into my sunlit room, and find Minecraft open on my computer again. _That's odd, _I think. _I thought I had closed it last night..._ Feeling utterly confused, I reach my hand over onto the mouse to close the game. At a touch my hand is frozen. It begins to then dance my cursor across the monitor screen, dance it's way into the Multiplayer button. It sways gently, it's movements an artistic flourish, onto a game I had played only once before. I blinked, and I found myself back to the main page. Somewhat creeped out, I made my way to the Multiplayer button, clicked it, following the eerie vision. I forgot what I had been looking for. I didn't care, either. I had Minecraft.


	9. Chapter 9-Damian's dream

~Damian~

A cry for help echoes through the dark. I look up and see a boy dangling from a computer monitor, Minecraft shown on it's screen. His eyes are closed, but his mouth is open, speaking. I do not hear what he says. Endless cries for help echo. I back away slowly as the echoes get louder. The boy is still slumped there, still motionless, except for lips, which cease to stop moving. They speak soundlessly, I almost wonder what he is trying to say, before I am whisked away in a whirlwind of colour. I open my eyes, even though I had thought they were open already. I think over my dream, and one word flashes in my mind. _Eden. _My best friend. The one who was supposed to be grounded for the month, the one who won't pick up his phone. My mind races through the dream again and again, desperately groping in it's depths for an answer. One single result was possible. And it wasn't a good one. _My friend is stuck in Minecraft. _


	10. Chapter 10-Herobrine

~Steve/Eden~

Somewhere, something stirred in my mind.I found myself spinning, spinning out of control. Slowly at first, then quickening in speed. My heart beat at a quickening pace, I felt something inside of my loosen it's grip on my chest, I breathed. I turn to look at myself, I am no longer covered in blood. I remember myself losing control sometime, my own body gaining conscience and licking the red juices off of my now-frail self, before I fell into a deep slumber. I dreamt of a boy I did not know, gazing at me in utter shock and fear. I call out to him, I called out for help, but he simply vanished. I gaze at the ground,which I suddenly realized wasn't as hard as I thought. I punched it, and it immediately fell apart. An idea struck my mind. _I could tunnel out! _I began frantically digging at the ground, letting it crumble at my fingertips, as I dug out of my jail chamber. Gripping on to the sides of the sticky dirt-like substance, which I then recognized as soul sand, I clawed out of the chamber, just to be morphed once again into the me I couldn't control, raging, raging again, as I felt again, something inside of my now clasp my chest firmly. I struggled to breathe for a moment, as the air was sucked out of me, then relaxed. I was almost used to these disturbing happenings now. I gaze ahead, my body runs forwards, charging up a steep soul sand hill, screaming in pure rage. It's voice echoes through the lands, thundering down the slopes and running across the seas, searching for something, or someone. Suddenly, a calm, almost seductive voice speaks from behind me. My body whips around to meet the source of the voice, and find a mild looking man, just like me, but with white, glowing eyes. _"Hello, Steve. Have you missed me?"_ Something in the way he said it told me this was bad news. _"I, if you don't remember, I am Herobrine." _


	11. Chapter 11-Fear of

**Okay we have here the appearance of our other main character, Nixon! Hope you enjoy! :3 PS, you might see that I've changed the summary due to the change of plot. The original plot just didn't work with the surplus of characters.**

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~Steve/Eden~

Both my body and I gasp in shock. "Herobrine?! Where have you been? Where is my crown? Have you forgotten the agreement?!" By now, my body had sounded much, much, angrier, almost seething. I sense my hands grow into fists at my side, my teeth clench, ready to fight my former ally. _"There is no more agreement, Steve. I am the sole ruler of the Nether and I shall forever be. Did you really think you would rule alongside me? YOU FOOL!" _The true me sighs in relief, while my double, my corrupted body, shake in rage. "How dare you do this to me, Herobrine? How dare you abandon my loyalty? I have done everything I can to serve you, in the hopes that I would succeed you...rule alongside you..." My body was speechless. It emitted strange gurgling noises, as if drowning in the air, before letting out a final ear piercing scream, and was no more. I was finally me again. The real Steve. Herobrine smirked, before teleporting away, into the distance.

~Nixon~

_I must do something! _Damian had just told me what had happened, and we even stopped at Eden's house to verify. Sure enough, he was lying limp over his computer, like said in the dream, muttering. Notch and the Minecraft team have mysteriously gone silent without trace the same week Eden was sucked in, and Minecraft users everywhere were experiencing strange things within their games. There were rumors of Herobrine rising across the nation, as well as vanished players. _Something just isn't right... __will we disappear too? _

~Damian~

I heave a great sigh as I stare ruefully, once again, at my Minecraft game before going to bed. Days have passed since Nixon and I have stopped at Eden's house. It was even verified he was, in fact, gone from his original state, maybe cast into the game itself. After much research, we've found reports of happenings like the one of Eden, players going missing and close one's experiencing visions. Herobrine was across fourms everywhere, and seemed to now cast fear into the hearts of the remaining users, and real fear this time. The Minecraft team seemed to disappear without trace, which worries me. I stare again at Minecraft. Disgust hangs deep inside of me. The flashing title page seemed so alluring, and the game so addictive, it seemed to summon me each time I was close to it. _Play with me... _it seemed to sing. The more I thought about it, the more I couldn't stand it. I got out of bed and marched to my computer, shutting it down. The screen went black within seconds. Then I stomped back to bed.


	12. Chapter 12-Too much to handle

**Hey readers! I know I've just posted this story like a week ago, and I haven't gotten many reviews, but if you've read to here, it'd be cool if you'd send a review with your favourite character so far! Thanks! PS, You may notice I invented a few words... ENJOY! :3**

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~Steve/Eden~

Now I knew I could bail. I just couldn't wait to bail. I was a trapped soul no more. I was free to go home then to the Nether and back, even into the End. I felt joy swoop in my heart, an emotion I had nearly forgotten, as I raced across the Netherack valleys, even daring to jump behind the looming lavafalls, searching for a portal home. Finally, after what seemed like forever, I found a cave with a return portal exactly in the middle. Expressing a small jump of glee, I hopped into the portal. The swirling purple portal waved in front of my eyes. I felt like I was to puke. Eerie noises came from both sides, and on the count of four, I was thrown forwards, and landed in a small clearing. I knew this place. I laughed when I realized that I was right next to my fortress base, and wondered where that portal had came from. I didn't care. Before I took out my pickaxe, I first knelt on the floor, and puked until I felt better. It absorbed into the grass as quickly as it had came. Now taking a diamond pickaxe, I picked at the obsidian block frame until they undid the portal, and little chunks fell into my inventory sachel. Whistling as I went back home, I saw something flash before my eyes. It resembled a neat line of drumsticks, except half of them were without colour. I felt my stomach grumble in complaint from the lack of food. That's when I realized I was hungry. I raced into my base, and opened a small chest. Inside was filled with meaty goodies. Pork, beef, chicken, and fish spilled out onto the floor. I happily picked up a piece of chicken, and sank my teeth into it's sweet flesh. The line of drumsticks replenished itself in colour, before disappearing from sight. Then, I happily skipped down into my sleeping quarters, even though it was full daylight, and attempted to climb in. A sentence written in white lettering appeared. _Sorry, you may only sleep at night._ I was perplexed, but still too tired to care. I forced myself into bed, destroying what seemed to be a barrier, before falling asleep.

~Damian~

More dreams followed the first. Eden was constantly in them. Then the computer. Minecraft flashed on it's screen. I started to then envision Nixon, who's head was bowed, bowed to no other than Herobrine. I dreamt of losing control of myself, finding myself clueless as a newborn baby, stuck inside Minecraft, forced to believe square was the shape of everything. I couldn't stand it anymore. I immediately dialed Nixon's phone. No one answered. I was starting to get the creeps now, so I biked over to his house, to find that he too, was now in the same state as Eden. _Holy crap! I'm losing all my friends to a game...and possibly even more... _The surreality of it all made me wish I had never even knew what Minecraft was. All I wanted to do now was go home and cry. Too late. Warm, sticky tears were already streaming down my face. I wiped them away, but more just rolled down in their place. I wept openly now, not even caring that I looked weak, crying in the middle of the street.


	13. Chapter 13-Pigs and Eden

~Nixon~

_Oink. _I look around me. The blocky sun passes above the sky. My fellow pigs wallow in the tall grass, happily living their lives. I spot an elder resting under a small oak tree. He seems lonely. I pad up to him and gently prod him with a hoof. He snorts slightly before turning to face me. _"Hello, young one. What is it you want, disturbing me from my slumber?" _His words seem wise and carefully chosen. I respond with respect. _"I apologize for bothering you (oink), elderly one (oink), I was just wondering if you wanted some company." _The old pig's fat, wrinkled face cracks a smile, and he beckons me to sit beside him. _"That would be wonderful, young one. Now tell me, what is your name?" _I ponder this question for a moment, before answering, _"I have no idea." _The old pig snorted with amusement. _"What a joke, young one. You must have a name!" _I feel a little panicked. _"I really don't." _The elder sighed, then rolled onto his back. _"Tell you what, young one. I give you a name, until you find out what your real name is." _I smiled. That seemed to be a grand idea. _"Very well, elder." _The elder looked me in the eye. _"I shall then name you...Mel. And please, call me Ralph." _I decided that was a funny name. _"Alright then, Ralph, so my name be Mel." _We watched the other pigs roll in the dirt, before Ralph got up and strolled away. Suddenly, a horrible sound filled my ears. Footsteps. Those of a human, too. They came closer. My heart thumped in great fear as the human raised a bow, with a sharp arrow tucked perfectly into it. He drew back, and released. The arrow shot through the air as we pigs fled in different directions, desperately trying to save our own lives. I quickly dive into a small thicket. A moan sounds behind me. I look towards the direction of the sound, to find Ralph, dead, an arrow shot right through his side. The human approached, picked Ralph up by the ear, and placed him in a sack-like thing at his side, before walking away again. When the footsteps stopped, I shakily clambered out of the thicket and peered towards the oak tree. _The last place Ralph ever rested._ The other pigs began to come out too, and mourn for the elder. Some even cried. I just walked away. Guilt fills me.

~Steve/Eden~

I pick up the fresh-killed pig and place him on my furnace. I take some sticks from my sack and toss it into the flames, feeding it, as I awaited the goodies it would behold. I smiled. My bow rested in my fist, and I set it down on the ground. I smile. _Dinner is served. _I rest on a small block of wood, pondering over the day. The pigs. And everything that happened to me in the Nether. Something didn't seem right. I was always referring to life as a game. Weird flashing bars come and go, when I'm hungry, hurt, or even when I put on some simple armor. I sometimes envision myself staring through space, gazing ahead, yet standing in front of me. Sometimes I envision a strange box with a glass screen. Strange words flash before me when I place my eyes upon it. It seemed to be powered by redstone, or maybe some powerful source I did not know of. I imagine a world of round instead of square. Sometimes I even seem to see two others, who were just like me, except they were rounded out on the edges. The three of us would have a good time, before my daydream ends. Sometimes I wish I could clarify it all, but sometimes, I think, _mysteries wouldn't exist if they were all meant to be solved. _I think I am right.

~Damian~

I cautiously open Minecraft on my computer. The title page flashes, and I dive into game. Not for pleasure this time, but to find my friends. Foolish as it seemed, I had the idea that perhaps they were stuck simply within a world, and I could retrieve them as easily as I could exit the game. The tough part would be not being sucked into it too. I decided to take moderate breaks each time I felt like I might. My player runs across a small plains area, through a basin, and into the woods. Wolves growl and bark as they pad randomly through the map. A lone pig stares up at me. It's eyes remind of something, an emotion, or maybe a person. I feel tingling down my spine as I stare at the blocky animal through the computer screen. I keep going. An immense fortress looms ahead of me. I remember this one as the one Eden had been planning to build. I switch to creative mode and quickly fly in through one of the windows. The door seemed to use some kind of password. I crash through the opening, and spy Eden's Minecraft character, leaning against a burning furnace. I sense it's head tilt as the crosshairs scan me once, before Eden walks away, totally unaware. I type some words in the chat. Eden still does not see me. He shows no sign of even knowing I was here. I gave up for today. I close Minecraft and sigh. I walk towards the kitchen and grab a sandwich. I chew vigorously, as I replay the event that just occurred over and over in my mind. Eden is there. That pig seems to want something. And it wasn't a carrot. An idea crosses my mind. I quickly take a piece of paper and pencil, and begin jotting. I stop midway, suddenly confused. _What was I doing here? _A strange presence overcame me. It seemed to be right behind me, breathing angry fumes down my neck. Voices play in my head. A stern one catches my attention. _"Why are you not playing Minecraft? You are such a dishonourable user!"_ I laugh as I imagine the voice assuming the shape of one of those angry cartoon housewives, and I imagine it grabbing me by the ear and hauling me towards my computer. The moment passes. I smile once and squeeze my eyes shut, trying to savour the humour of the moment one last time. I open my eyes, and I am in front of my computer...


	14. Chapter 14-Name Tags and Signs

~Nixon/Mel~

Sun sets over the horizon. Endless hours of wandering in circles exhaust me, and I lie down in front of a strange structure, resting. The sound of a door slamming. Footsteps. I turn around. Human. He raises his bow and arrow at me, and I pull the most random trick. I made puppy dog eyes at the human, and he shoots his fully charged arrow elsewhere. He leans down and looks at me, before a sudden flash of recognition crosses his face, followed by that of puzzlement. He turns around and digs a strange item out of his sack, and his face scrunches up in concentration as he strains to etch something into the item. Then, he gets up, and places the item on me. "Splavocado," he chuckles to himself, "Nice touch." Then he walks away. I snort in disgust and try to take out the item, but it was stuck fast to my hide. _"There's another human thing you gotta watch out for...tags." _With that I wander away.

~Damian~

This was attempt two. I respawn in front of Eden's fortress and walk in. Eden is happily crafting away on his crafting table. I try typing hello. No response. I wave a blocky arm in front of his face, but he does not respond. I go into creative mode again, and take out a sign. I plant it on the ground, and open the typing box. _Hello, _I type. Then, I smack him hard on the head, causing him to take damage and finally, see me. He begins to pick up his bow and arrow, and I quickly gesture towards the sign. Eden looks at it for a brief moment before dropping his weapon. He too takes a sign and places it beside mine. _What's wrong with you, _it reads. I chuckle from my seat and take a sip of water before continuing. I place another sign. _Nothing. Do you remember me..? _Eden stops for a moment, before backing away, bow equipped in his hand again. The chat is suddenly filled with constant remarks from him, calling me Herobrine. _Mental Facepalm._ Eden then picks up speed and sprints away, right into a lava lake. I laugh a little as he suddenly realizes the danger and skids to a halt at the edge, before running around the lake and out of sight again. I decided that I was going to change my skin from the default after this. A breeze enters my room as the window is blown open. Large bunches of my coarse brown hair block my eyes, and I stumble quite blindly over to the window, shutting it for good, then brushing the hair out of my eyes.


	15. Chapter 15-Nixon reborn (sort of)!

~Damian~

I spawn (again) in front of the fortress. A pig is tied with lead to the front wall, which was lined with fence. I place the crosshairs over the pig. Bright words appear on top of it, _Splavocado. _I laugh a little, before I notice something strange, and a little disturbing. _The eyes on that pig look like Nixon's! _It snorted happily at my feet. I imagined Nixon as a human, wriggling on the ground, and I laughed. I went into my inventory and began taking out a name-tag so I could re-name him properly as Nixon, but decided against it. _He's my bro, _I thought, _it'd be funny if he ever found out...as a human. _So it was. Two friends, a human and a pig, sat together beside a stone wall, watching the trees, in a curveless world._  
_


	16. Chapter 16-We're all here now

**Behold our first (and probably only) female character, Trina. Thanks to MyLittleMuffinZ for the ideas!**

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~Trina~

I sit in my room, watching the news. "_In other news, reports of several unconscious children and teens have been announced across the nation. Each victim has been linked with Minecraft as a potential cause. Forensic researchers are on the scene now..." _Yawn. I wonder how much more of that fake crap they're going to put on every week. I've been playing Minecraft everyday now, and nothing has happened to me. Then I remember some kids on the block. They're all huge Minecraft addicts and I haven't heard from them in ages. All except for that one guy, Damian. He seems completely sure that this is like, the Minecraft apocolypse or something, stating that his friends have all been kidnapped by their computers while playing...or something. I felt the need to prove him wrong. I quickly signed in to Minecraft, and began playing, a devious smile playing across my face. "_Bacon_." I have no idea why I said that, it just seemed to make sense. My stomach growled at me to eat something, so I made my way to the kitchen, stepping on only every second tile, like I always do. I don't know why I did that either, it just felt a bit safer. Life was truly a mystery to me. After eating some cookies, I headed back to my room, and kept playing. After what seemed to be an hour, I had a strange feeling that something was watching me. Suddenly, I began to feel something heavy press up against me, pushing me towards the computer screen. A voice spoke in my head. _"Welcome home, pastelicious404. Stay, and never leave." __  
_

~Damian~

An ear piercing scream woke me from my daze. It sounded alot like that weird girl on the other side of the street, Trina. She seemed to be screeching on the top of her lungs. I felt the ground beside me. It felt warm, as if someone had been sitting there before. I turn around. An empty lead hangs from a fence. _Wait a minute, __led? Pig? What? _Then I figured it out. I was inside Minecraft. The screaming continued, and I concluded that she, too, had been sucked into the game. I look at myself from head to toe. I was still my regular Minecraft character. I was lucky.


	17. Chapter 17-Herobrine's story

**Alright! I've added a fresh in-take of the whole story, by adding Herobrine's (RAPEFACE) perspective.**

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~Steve/Eden~

My mind races as I stare at the new comer. He was the one who I had envisioned, hanging out with me and one other. The one I had mistaken for Herobrine. The look in his eye told me that he somehow knew me, too. We both stared at eachother, a little afraid, yet a little relieved, and laughed it off like old friends. Together we walk through the forest, laughing off the days, until he says something very startling. "I'm glad you're back, _Eden._" _EDEN? Who is Eden? Is he referring to me? _I clear my throat and look at him directly in the eye. "Who are you referring to as _Eden? _I am Steve." The other backed away slowly, obviously afraid. I heard my own voice, angrier than I have ever heard it before, as I stared down the one who dared call me Eden. The other blinked once, before swallowing hard and responding, shakily, "You are Eden, not Steve. Do you not remember me? Damian, your best friend?" His words sounded so much like a joke, but the way he looked at me when he said it forced me to believe it wasn't. "I am Steve, you worthless runt, that is all I'll ever be!" Damian backed away, his eyes widening with fear, and he then turned around and vanished into the blurred horizon. Hot rage in my chest, I remembered this feeling, back from when I was in the Nether. But this time, it was much angrier. Again, I began to lose conscience, I began to drift away, but this time, I was prepared...right?

~Trina~

I wake up in a large cave. A pig lies beside me, twitching. Damian and his friend Eden are slumped against a wall. Many other players I do not know litter the ground, their limp bodies thrown carelessly everywhere. _Where was I? Am all these people dead?!_ Eden twitches once, and a girl on the other side of the cave opens her eyes and closes them again. _So they're not dead... _Suddenly, a voice speaks from behind me. _"Hello..."_ I turn around and see no other than Herobrine. He stares at me, and doesn't speak. I glare at him. No effect. He was wearing the creepiest rapeface I have ever seen. I keep glaring. Still no effect. I stand up and face him, still glaring. No effect whatsoever, though I may have just broadened his rapeface. Annoyed, I get up and pace around the cave. He follows. I duck through piles of stacked players, and dodging low hanging stalacitites. He was still following me with that creepy face. "Leave me alone, you... cement!" He tilts his head left a little and continues staring at me. "What's wrong with you?" Still staring.

~Herobrine~

I laugh on the inside. She is definitely creeped out. "What is wrong with you?!" She screams. "What the fuck is your problem?! Have you nothing better to do then stalk random girls?!" _Stalk random girls. _I sighed and stopped following the girl. What she said had offended me, even though I knew I was popularly known as a stalker. _"You're right, girl. I really am sorry." _The girl stopped pacing and looked at me. "Are you serious? Are you legitimately sorry?" _"Yes. I really shouldn't have done this to you, or all these other players. I don't think I want to anymore, but there is no way for me to change it. I am enraged, now, I am nothing but a strip of code in this virtual reality that I myself insisted on calling home." _The girl looked at me, nodded, and began pacing again. "I don't understand." I glanced at her, then at the hundreds of players who were slumped on the ground. I sighed. I guess I was really going to have to tell my story to someone that wasn't myself. _"You see, I was the one who was really the most interested in this project Minecraft, while my brother regarded it simply as another game to make. I was captivated by the idea, it was fresh, it was cool, and it was sort of biblical, too. After the first testing of the initial game, I begged Notch to send me into the game. He said no. I told him it was for the best, and maybe this way we would really be able to understand and improve the Minecraft experience. He still denied. It took me then months of work to persuade him, but finally, he agreed. I was sent into this game on a chilly morning, with everything I would ever need. Notch even gave me a blocky form to help me blend in with my surroundings. Since that day, I've rested here. But now, my brother is busy on another game he is making, and the new Minecraft team still doesn't know about my story. They treat me as a virus, they are trying to terminate me. I wanted to break out, until I realized what sort of torture they would give me if I ever returned. I need to prove that I am more than a corrupted code, that I am human. And to do that, I need the likes of you to be sacrificed." _I swallowed hard, and braced myself for the beating that I knew would come. It didn't. The girl looked at me, and sighed with exasperation. "Is there no other way?" _"Sadly, no." _By now, a boy slumped against the wall was beginning to stir. A little kid who was dangling from a floating stone opened her eyes and blinked. Sounds of awakening filled the cavern. I was going to need to announce my story once again, it looked like, before I did anything else._  
_


	18. Chapter 18-Guilt

~Damian~

I pretend to be asleep in the dark cavern. Eden lies beside me, slumped against the wall. His lips move, as if he were talking, and his eyes occasionally dart from side to side. I could only guess he was dreaming. Trina is awake, along with a few others, who, unlike her, dared not move an inch. A blocky figure who I recognized as Herobrine stared creepily at Trina, who didn't seem take the situation too well. I smiled slightly as she paced around the cavern, throwing dirty remarks at Herobrine. Herobrine looked at me for a second, our eyes met, and I quickly looked away, just in case he wanted to kill me.

~Eden/Steve~

A large figure stands before me. Herobrine. He stares ominously at me. The eerie white shine within his eye glows brighter. I wimper before staggering slowly over to him, bowing. "Master?" That is all I am able to say. Herobrine looks at me, and with a kick, I am sent flying through the air, arms flailing. I get up and slowly retreat, recognizing rejection. I wake up with a jolt. The stranger who had called me Eden lies beside me, eyes wide open in fear. Herobrine rants on to a girl I do not know, and the only words I pick up are _world _and _Notch. _I look at Herobrine, and I recognize him as master. Knowing rejection was only a dream I just had, I got up and looked at Herobrine. He does not seem to notice me, yet. He finishes his lecture, and the girl goes elsewhere. I look around and realize we are in a cavern, which is filled with people. They seem unconscious at first, until one by one, they begin to stir. I take this chance to talk to Herobrine. "M-Master?" Herobrine looks at me in disgust. _"It's you again, huh? I am not your master. You are not my slave. Must I tell you over and over for you to understand?" _And, just like in my dream, he kicks me and I am sent flying into the air, and crash against a wall. I feel blood drip down my face as I black out.

~Mel/Nixon~

The sound of humans wakes me. What seemed like hundreds of humans all buzz about at once, with one very peculiar one standing in the middle, observing the chaotic scene, eyes aglow. Literally aglow. I stare, captivated by the dancing light, until instinct kicks in. I look around and squeal in terror. Several humans turn and look at me, then begin to advance. Slowly, but surely, they will kill me. I begin running frantically in circles, then in loops, figure eights, jumping everywhere, over everything, in a frantic dash for survival. Images of Raplh dead on the ground run across my mind, and I run faster. Human voices scream things I do not hear, nor understand, as I dash between collumbs of stone. My ears pick up a familiar voice. "Splavocado?" It says. Another familiar sounding human replies. "No, this pig is Nixon. Do you remember Nixon?" The first voice raises louder, it seems agitated. The second does the same. They begin yelling at eachother, as the sound of many humans grows quieter, and they all leave to hear the argument. I flop down behind a stone pillar, heaving a sigh of relief.

~Herobrine~

I stare ruefully at the crowd of young players who were gathered in a tight-knit circle on the other side of the cavern. My plan to be respected seemed to look like shit now. _Was I really going to kill all these innocent people so a simple group will stop trying to kill me? If I killed so many of these people, didn't I deserve to e killed anyways? Did I really want to be feared? What about Notch_? Questions rang through my head. I ponder each one thoroughly, before dismissing it. I look again at the crowd of players, who had begun to break up. I shook my head, and decided that I had to proceed with my plan. _But they deserve to know what hit them, right?_

I looked at the players, and using one of the powers Notch gave me, everyone in the room turned back into their normal, round, human selves.


	19. Chapter 19-Painful execution

~Ni_x_on~

I stare at the crowd of people before me. I stare down at myself, then, my surroundings. _That's strange... _I thought. _I'm round, but the world is cubic... _I decided I must be in Minecraft. A blocky figure with glowing eyes was standing in the middle of the cavern. That must be Herobrine. _So I am in Minecraft... _A familiar voice interrupts my thoughts. "Welcome back, _Splavocado._" I turn around and see a boy with brown, wavy hair and a grim, but mischievous smile. "Damian?" He nodded. I laughed, like I always did when I was about to go into hyper-drive. "Oh my bloody gosh, man! It's actually freaking you!" Damian made a slight grimace. "Dude, calm yourself, you're going into hyperdrive again!" I looked at him with a questioning look on my face. I knew him long enough to know that face meant something was up. "Damian? What are you hiding...?" He laughed at my question and beckoned over another guy with orange-y hair and the same look on his face. They both exchanged glances before looking at me again, trying to keep a strait face, then they both burst out laughing. I suddenly recognized the guy with the orange-y hair to be none other than Eden, the king jokester of laugh attacks. I stare at them as they continue to have seemingly endless seizures. _So I conclude that my two best friends are laughing at me for an unidentified reason..._ Eden then broke out of the laughter long enough to explain what happened, while Damian, who had cleared up a while ago, went off to do something else. I learned about me becoming a pig, how they gave me the name Splavocado, and all about the Minecraft adventure. A lightbulb seemed to click inside of me. Everything that happened came back to my mind, even Ralph. I recalled some of my adventures to Eden, and we laughed about the entwinement of our adventures. He then told me all about the Nether, and him thinking he was Steve. He even shared the part about the crazy corrupted guy he would become, and the experience of watching his own body walk around randomly, while he sat back and did nothing in his own mind. Suddenly, a quiet, wayward sort of voice, like that of a snake's, spoke from somewhere in the middle of the cavern. Hundreds of others like us gathered before Herobrine, who looked like he was in pain. Damian was on the edge of the crowd, beckoning us over. Once we were all assembled, Herobrine made his speech. He quickly skimmed over the unimportant, sappy parts and held on to the end. _"None of you shall be going home. Instead, it is necessary that you are all to be slaughtered by me or under my supervision, to ensure there are no escapes." _Enraged players bellow insults towards Herobrine, while others simply looked away, exchanging final glances. Herobrine sighed, and continued. He then summoned four other cubic humans, who each looked like Steve, diamond sword in-hand. Panic rose in my chest. _Clones! Those are clones! I thought they had gotten rid of them in the Beta! _Herobrine looked at the four, before whispering something I couldn't catch. Two clones departed, and came back with stacks of led. They tied everyone up, and silenced their cussing. When they had gotten to me, I tried to put a fight into it, attempting to kick one of the clones in the balls, but missed terribly. They bound me by the lead, and tried to tie one around my mouth. I bit the clone, and he yelped in pain, before recovering. I look at Eden, who was already bound, shaking his head at me grimly. _Don't even try, _his eyes seemed to say.

~Trina~

I screamed in terror as the clones threw me onto the ground in front of Herobrine. They unbound me, and left silently to prepare their next victim. Herobrine picked up a diamond sword, and brought it up above his head, the tip of the blade pointing downwards at me. _"This is what shall happen to the person I must tell my life's story to.." _I heard him whisper, before he brought the sword down. I stared in horror as the blade inched closer towards my chest. It shone in the light of Herobrine's eyes, showing how carefully sharpened it was. It was almost at me now. I squeezed my eyes shut and hoped it would be over. Within seconds, the darkness of my closed eyelids became permanent, and I fell into the ever-lasting pit of death.


	20. Chapter 20

**This is it, guys. The last chapter of the story. If you liked it, just follow my sequel, Snowbreaking.**

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~Damian~

A clone approaches me. I am still bound in lead. Many words fly through my mind. _The evil has me in their hands. Shall this be my mortal end? _The horrible rhyme played in my head over and over again. A clone bends down to pick my up, when I realize the led that bound my right arm was loose. I squirm out of it and show the crude copy my fist. I quickly then untie myself and dash towards Nixon and Eden. I free Nixon, who then turns to help Eden, but Eden shakes his head. _You go, I'll join you later. _His eyes seem to say. Nixon and I both get up on silent accord, as more and more clones are made and chase after us. Now, it was time to run.


End file.
